Who doesn't love a bargain?

Ok, so everybody pretty much knows I'm always looking to score a deal. Or two. Or five.

I will freely admit I get a huge rush when I know I've found a way to make a good deal even better. And this deal is pretty good, if I do say so myself. :)

So, I thought I'd share it here in case any of you a.) haven't heard about it. and b.) have an interest in taking advantage.

Walgreens is having a Friends and Family promotion today, where by printing a coupon off their website EVERYONE gets their employee discount (15%) off their total purchase. If you buy any of the Walgreens branded products, you get 20% off those items. You can find the coupon here. There's some fine print, but basically it tells you that it's not valid on prescriptions, booze, stamps, gift cards, or items prohibited from being included by law...pretty standard.

This deal becomes even sweeter if you already have coupons or take advantage of their sale prices. Yep, it works on top of whatever the price would have been, even if it's already FREE or better-than-free after Register Rewards (RR). And you can use a coupon as well. This makes a good deal a killer deal!

Some of my personal favorites:

Dove Men's (new line) body care products are on sale for $5.99 this week and a $6 off your next purchase coupon prints at the register. So, anytime this week you'd MAKE one cent to purchase it. Well today only (Feb 12), you'll get 15% off the $5.99. So, you pay ~$5.10 for the product and get $6 back!

Huggies Diapers/Pull-Ups trainers jumbo packs are on sale for $8.99 this week and at the register a RR for $3 off your next order will print. I don't know about the rest of you, but every few weeks I get coupons in the mail from Huggies. So I usually have at least a couple lying around for between $1-3 dollars off. So, all week long, $8.99-$3RR-$2 coupon means you could get these diapers for about $4/pack. Not bad. However, today with the employee discount coupon they'll ring up at $7.49, use your $2 coupon to bring the price to $5.49, and then you'll get the $3 RR, so basically you can get the diapers for $2.50/pack!!

And, if you don't have any coupons, you're not a man/mom/you only use Pampers/you cloth-diaper exclusively this could still be a great deal if you need any household items (toothpaste/deodorant/shampoo/cleaning products) especially since it seems there's always a sale on at least one of the brands at any given time. Or, re-stock your medicine cabinet with Walgreeens branded supplies (they've been just as effective as the name brands for us) and save even more. And no, Walgreens isn't giving me anything to promote this, but boy I wish they would!

Happy (Bargain) Shopping!!!

Cousins

I love, love, LOVE these pictures, taken at Christmas-time! Just a bit delayed in posting. :)

Fast French Bread

This bread is really fast, only an hour or an hour-and-a-half from getting out the ingredients to eating warm, crusty, soft French Bread! What can beat that?

I found the recipe on this great mommy-blogger site and let's just say we'll be making it again! It made three loaves, of which we ate about 1/2 loaf at dinner that night, saved the other half for the next day and froze 4 half-loaves (just let thaw on the counter for a couple of hours wrapped in foil and pop in a 400 degree oven for 10-15 minutes and it's like fresh-from-the oven bread again). Yum!! Not bad work for less than 2 hours total prep-work including rising and baking time.

Don't our pictures make you want some for yourself?? For those of you who love photos, doesn't James' new lens make you want one for yourself??

No Fail Quick French Bread (Found at Gourmet Mom on-the Go)
Ingredients:
1 T shortening
1 T salt
2 T sugar
1 C boiling water
1 C cold water
1/3 C lukewarm water
1 T yeast (cut your yeast in half if you are at a high altitude)
4 1/2 C - 6 C flour
1 egg

Directions:
1. Place the 1 C hot water in the microwave for 3 minutes to get it boiling.
2. Dissolve the yeast into the warm water. Stir it around until it is all mixed.
3. Combine the salt, shortening, and sugar in the bottom of your mixer with a fork. The dough hook doesn't work very well.
4. Pour the boiling water over the shortening mixture.
5. Pour the cold water over the mixture.
6. Pour the warm water and yeast into the mixer.
7. Begin to add the flour, one cup at a time, until the dough pulls away from the side of your mixer.
8. Let the dough mix on high for 8 minutes.
9. Let the dough rise in the mixer for about 20 minutes. (This step can actually be skipped if you are in a hurry!)
10. Separate the dough into three parts and place on a large jelly roll pan sprayed with cooking spray. Let the dough sit for about 5 minutes. Letting it sit will make it MUCH easier to shape.

11. Spread the dough out into a large (12"x18" or so) rectangle.

12. Then roll the dough up on the short side--you should know have an approximately 18" long rope of dough.

14. Turn the loaf so the seam side is down. Repeat these steps with the other 2 parts of dough.
15. Spray a sharp knife with cooking spray.
16. Make your egg wash by whisking the egg until frothy.
17. Cut three diagonal slits in the top of each loaf. Cover with the egg wash being sure to get it into all of the slits.

18. Place the loaves in a warm 170 degree oven and let rise for about 15 minutes.
19. Turn the oven up to 375 degrees for a convection oven, and 400 degrees for a regular oven. Leave the loaves in while the oven increases in temperature.
20. Bake for 10 minutes convection or 15 regular oven, or until the loaves are golden brown and crusty.
21. Turn the oven down to 325 for convection, 350 for regular and turn the pan around in the oven. Bake for another 7 minutes convection or 10 minutes for regular.

On our Bookshelf

We've been reading this book ALOT recently! Lydia in particular loves everything about it. It's cutely written in a rhyme-y but not annoying fashion, which is also a bonus since Joshua can't get enough of rhyming these days.

It's about a kitten who is having a bad day because she's just too enthusiastic as she tries to help her mama, and of course her eagerness results in more, not less work for her mom.

I love the ending especially because it so accurately describes how I feel most days:

Mama runs to Calico...

"Mama, do you think I'm bad?

Mama smiles. "I'm not mad. Why, you are good as good can be--a blessing every day to me!

You'll make mistakes, but dearest, know...I'll always love you Calico!"

While my kids are not fictional, and thereby not always 'as good as good can be', they definitely are a blessing and usually good and trying to help, so I hope I can always communicate my great love for them instead of annoyance when things go wrong, though in the moment it's harder than it sounds!

2 Nights, 2 Meals, 30 minutes prep, for real.

While it is probably no secret to most of you reading (is there anyone besides James out there reading?), I love my crockpot. It's so handy, I love the way it makes the house smell good all day, and really, who doesn't love a one-pot, forget-its-there-until-dinners-done sort of appliance. Anyway, you get my point, I love me a good crock-pot recipe and I'm always looking for more (so if you have a good one send it my way, please).

On Wednesday I found a whole new way to combine two crockpot meals into a tasty, cheap, and fast 2-for-1. So I thought I'd share:

Day 1: Beer-Roasted Chicken (I served this with microwave baked potatoes and a salad, but you could do whatever is fast and suits your personal fancy)

You need:

1 (3-4lb) whole fryer chicken

1 (12oz.) can beer (or substitute equal amount beef broth if you don't have or would prefer not to use)

1/2 t. garlic powder

1/2 t. salt

1/2 t. black pepper

1/2 t. paprika

To prepare:

Remove any extra parts (neck, organs) from inside cavity of chicken and place bird in crockpot. Pour beer/broth over and into the chicken. Sprinkle with seasonings and place lid on. Cook on medium high for 4 hours, or low for up to 8. This chicken was fall-off-the-bone tender and nicely flavored, yum! Serves 4.

Serve and store for tomorrow:

Remove skin from chicken, carve and reserve meat needed for dinner as desired. Remove the remaining meat from bones. Lightly shred extra chicken and place in a storage dish in refrigerator. Discard bones and strain broth to another refrigerated container.

Day 2: Chicken Taco Soup, adapted from this recipe (serve with tortilla chips for dipping or crumbling on top or over instant brown rice)

You need:

Leftover Chicken from Day 1

Leftover Stock from Day 1

1 medium onion coarsley chopped

1 (15 oz.) can chili-style beans, undrained

1 (15 oz.) can black beans, drained

1-2 cups water (depending on how this you want it)

1 (15 oz.) can diced chili-style or mexican-style tomatoes, undrained

1 (15oz.) can corn, drained OR 1 (1lb.) package frozen corn

1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce OR 2 cups tomato juice

1 package taco seasoning or 1/3 this recipe

1/2 t. chipotle chili powder (optional)

Shredded cheddar cheese (optional)

Sour cream (optional)

Cilantro, chopped (optional)

To prepare:

Remove reserved chicken stock from fridge, using a spoon, scrape layer of fat off the top and discard. Remaining stock will be thick like jello. (Don't worry, it will return to a normal consistency as it warms)

Add all ingredients through chili powder (if using) to a crockpot and cook on high for 1 hour, or on low for up to 8.

Top bowls of soup with cheese, sour cream, and cilantro as desired. Serves 8.

Tips:

If you don't think you'll have enough chicken for both meals you could cook two whole birds at the same time and use all of one for dinner, and all of the the other for the soup.

If you just want to make the soup but didn't roast the chicken the previous day, substitute 3 bonless, skinless chicken breasts for leftover meat and 1 can of beer/broth in place of the water called for. (Basically, just follow the recipe I linked to as written.)

Oh where, oh where has my baby boy gone...and other musings of a 4-year mom...

Birthday season has now passed us by for another year. In addition to newly 2-year-old Lydia, Joshua turned four on Sunday. In some ways it seems like yesterday that I became a mom, in others that I have been doing this all my life. But either way, I can't imagine my life without him.

Joshua, before you were born I had moments of worry about how I would take care of you, or the ways you would change my life, or if I was ready to always be thinking of and responsible for another human being. I even worried if I was strong enough to get through the process of bringing you into this world.

And then, as I started having complications the week before your birth I knew I could and would do whatever was in my power to keep you safe and out of harm. Labor was different than I ever imagined and yet when they placed teeny-tiny you into my arms I knew instantly it was all worth it. Every second of uncertainty, pain, and worry faded into the perfection of your little body, 10 fingers and toes, bright blue eyes, and a sense of connection I'd never experienced before with someone I'd just met.

These past four years have changed and stretched me in ways I'd thought it would and in so many ways I never envisioned. I always thought the role of a parent was to guide and direct a child into the person they would become, but I've learned that it is just as much the child teaching and refreshing the parent and shaping them into the person they were meant to be as well.

You've come so far these past four years and I feel like you've crossed from little boy to mini-man recently. I cherish the moments you still call me "Mommy" and want to snuggle or make sure I tuck you in and give you just one more hug and kiss, and yet I'm so proud of you when you step out and do things on your own, or want to try something for yourself, even though I know if means you need me just a little less.

Having a conversation with you is often enlightening and nearly always humorous! You have so much to offer and I love to watch you make connections and put the world together. You are driven, inquisitive, and confident, but at the same time so sensitive and so concerned about what you can't plan, understand or control.

I see so much of myself in you, and I hope I can use that empathy to encourage you to step outside your (our) comfort zone and yet I'm guessing that I will find that you will be the one showing me that the first step is always the hardest, but that the rewards for trying are well worth the risk.

Every day with you is a blessing and I feel so priveleged to have been in your life these past four years and look forward to the next year (and the rest of your life) with you too, and no matter how big you get you'll always be my baby.

Happy 4th Birthday, baby boy!

Two

My baby girl is two-years-old today! Wow, where did the time go? I started this blog to let far-flung family and friends know of her arrival here, and if you've been following along for awhile the rest, as they say, is history.

To my baby girl on her birthday, January 8th, 2010:

Lydia Elise, you make me smile each and every morning when I go in to get you up and I'm still smiling when I put you to bed in the evening.

You're so sweet and sensitive and no matter what mood I'm in I can't help but feel warm and fuzzy inside when you give me a hug or climb on my lap and cuddle.

Somtimes I miss the snuggles of you as a baby, and now I treasure those rare baby moments more, but I love watching you grow and I wouldn't trade for your babyhood back for anything.

This has been a big year for you, I don't even realize how much until I stop to look at pictures and ponder. Running, jumping, potty-training, big-girl bed sleeping, growing, your little personality has just bloomed and bloomed!

You're such a caring "mommy" for your baby-dolls and it warms my heart to seeing you show them such nurture and concern, because I know that means your daddy and I are doing a good job of showing you how much we love you and your brother and that you feel it as well.

I love walking into a room to find you singing a song at the top of your lungs, usually just a tiny bit off-key and missing just a few words, but more precious than anything I could imagine. Hearing you sing the lullabies we've sung to you brings tears to my eyes and joy to my heart.

Your energy, love of life, and enthusiasm for whatever we're doing is contagious. Your vocabulary is growing by the day and yet you still have the charm of a tiny talker. I will miss when you lose the last of your "baby" words and you don't ask me to "hold-jer me" when you want to be picked up.

And yet, I look forward to all the changes I know this upcoming year will bring. I used to think that I would dread the "terrible-twos" and yet, I know that most of it should be labeled the "teachable-twos" for the learning and growth that takes place is astounding and I'm glad I'm your mommy and get to watch it take place and play a little part in making you the person you are becoming.
Baby Girl, I love you more and more each day and I'm so blessed and thankful that you're ours!
Happy 2nd Birthday!